It’s almost college bowl game season in Tampa Bay!
Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium now hosts two annual college bowl games. One is a little bigger than the other.
The Outback Bowl has been Tampa’s premiere college bowl game since 1995 when it replaced the Hall of Fame Bowl. It traditionally matches up a team from the Southeastern Conference with a team from the Big 10. This year, the game features the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Outback Bowl is a New Year’s Day game and kickoff will happen at noon.
The other bowl game that will be played at Raymond James Stadium is the Gasparilla Bowl. It has previously been played in St. Petersburg, but moved to Tampa in 2018. This year, the game will be played on Thursday, December 23. Not being one of the major, well known games, the Gasparilla Bowl has not featured high profile teams in the past. This year, however, the Florida Gators accepted an invitation to play against the University of Central Florida Knights. Kickoff will take place at 7 p.m.
Other bowl games taking place in Florida include:
- Friday, December 17: Cure Bowl, Camping World Stadium in Orlando – Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina, 6 p.m.
- Saturday, December 18: Boca Raton Bowl, FAU: Stadium in Boca Raton – Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky, 11 a.m.
- Wednesday, December 29: Cheez-It Bowl, Camping World Stadium in Orlando – Clemson vs. Iowa State, 5:45 p.m.
- Friday, December 31: Gator Bowl, TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville – Wake Forest vs. Texas A&M, 11 a.m.
- Friday, December 31: Orange Bowl, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens – #2 Michigan vs. #3 Georgia, 7:30 p.m
- Saturday, January 1: Citrus Bowl, Camping World Stadium in Orlando – Iowa vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m.
[Source: NCAA]
Produced by Micaela Figueroa
Written by Keith Connors
Photo Shutterstock